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ILA does not hire many of those who pass their CELTA course, even seasoned teachers, despite their allusions to the contrary. Do NOT go there with that expectation.

Furthermore, the claim that they will provide successful candidates with "job placement services second to none" (as their website states) is a bold-faced lie, unless you consider it to consist of being given the names of a couple of schools.

They sweet-talk you before the course to get you to sign up, then continue to lure you during the course. Don't fall for it.

Having met a few of the trainees on ILA's CELTA over recent months, I've come across one or two that I wouldn't employ either. I also know considerably more who were taken on immediately on completion of the course: all still in Vietnam and all doing well. Sure, they don't just automatically employ anyone who shows up to do a CELTA course. They're picky when they get the chance to be. Who wouldn't be?

No, I don't work for ILA - not that that's really relevant in any case. But I have worked for a number of similar ELT organisations as a school manager and very often, yes: one is better off with younger teachers who don't think they're doing you a favour by working for you because of their vast 'experience.'

'Experience' doesn't always make you a better teacher, unfortunately - some of the least employable teachers I've ever met had 20+ years of 'experience' (= they thought they knew everything, had long since stopped enjoying teaching, and just didn't know how to do anything else). Employers in Vietnam often prefer younger teachers who they view (rightly or wrongly) as more enthusiastic, more amenable to learning and professional development.

Not sure what the issue is here, anyway - surely a company is free to employ who and as it wishes? Did ILA sign some contract agreeing to employ you when you applied to join their CELTA course? If so, you have a point. Otherwise, just what exactly IS your point, beyond your being ticked off because they didn't give you a job?

No, I don't work for ILA - not that that's really relevant in any case. But I have worked for a number of similar ELT organisations as a school manager and very often, yes: one is better off with younger teachers who don't think they're doing you a favour by working for you because of their vast 'experience.'

'Experience' doesn't always make you a better teacher, unfortunately - some of the least employable teachers I've ever met had 20+ years of 'experience' (= they thought they knew everything, had long since stopped enjoying teaching, and just didn't know how to do anything else). Employers in Vietnam often prefer younger teachers who they view (rightly or wrongly) as more enthusiastic, more amenable to learning and professional development.

I find this denigration of experience a serious issue. Plus it appears we have stepped through the looking glass as someone with 20+ years of employment is suddenly the 'least employable'.

I do not doubt that you are right about some older teachers becoming 'stale', but that does not apply in my case. This is my second career. I know how to do something else while having 5-6 years in ESL. And obviously, my undertaking of the CELTA demonstrates my commitment to ongoing development.

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Not sure what the issue is here, anyway - surely a company is free to employ who and as it wishes? Did ILA sign some contract agreeing to employ you when you applied to join their CELTA course? If so, you have a point. Otherwise, just what exactly IS your point, beyond your being ticked off because they didn't give you a job?

Sorry you are not getting it. So for the third time I'll express the reason I am ticked off by reposting what I said the first two times:

Kornan DeKobb wrote:

The claim that they will provide successful candidates with "job placement services second to none" (as their website states) is a bold-faced lie.

What I actually wrote was that 'experience doesn't ALWAYS make you a better teacher'. This doesn't equate to 'denigrating experience'. Whether this does or doesn't apply to you, I have no idea. It is however a common issue in the EFL world, and as someone who's worked for many years as an employer myself, I have no problem in saying that of the hiring mistakes I've made in the past (or rather, of those I've hired whom I later wished I hadn't), 9 out of 10 were 'very experienced' teachers whose main problem was that they wouldn't listen to advice and no longer believed self-improvement was possible. For this reason, fairly or unfairly, many employers play it safe in most cases - especially if hiring over the internet, unseen, on the basis of a telephone interview - and stick to younger teachers.

Exactly what claims ILA or any other CELTA provider make re their post-certification 'employment services' is a separate issue. They aren't promising you with a job with them, just to lend you assistance in finding one somewhere else afterwards. They may or may not actually do that: most CELTA course providers include these kind of claims in their PR, and in most cases it's something of an exaggeration. Remarkably unfair, maybe, but fairly unremarkable.

identical questions and found ILA had a far less professional response. The attitude I got was they want you to be a supplicant to them. Even though you are paying your fee for their course, they left no doubt that they are in the position of strength and your business is not really wanted or needed if you do not understand that. I personally would opt for the other provider if taking the CELTA in HCMC. Perhaps this one interaction had too much impact on my opinion, but it was the kind of thing that would cause me to take my purchase to the other guy with no further research needed.

I recently applied to ILA and did not make the short list for interviews. When I asked for the reason, the recruiter replied that it was due to the few vacancies vs. many applicants. It was disappointing news but understandable, given my limited teaching experience. I thought maybe having a CELTA certification would trump that. I also wonder if my Vietnamese surname had any influence. Hope you all have better luck.

The problem is that everyone had a CELTA, you need one to work at ILA. They also run a CELTA course, so most months have a fresh crop of people they have seen teaching, and so can pick the best from that, and cut out the weirdos.
The amount of adverts they put up, you could just wait a while and reapply.

The problem is that everyone had a CELTA, you need one to work at ILA. They also run a CELTA course, so most months have a fresh crop of people they have seen teaching, and so can pick the best from that, and cut out the weirdos.

Oh I don't know about that. I did my CELTA at ILA, and by the time they finally got around to deciding that they could offer people jobs, everyone had already accepted jobs elsewhere. And of course the first to get jobs elsewhere were the people who got the highest CELTA grades.

It is my opinion that the so called tier 1 schools are not a substantially better experience than the lower level schools. Perhaps pay and benefits are better, but if you are expecting more inherent professionalism you may be disappointed. Look at your own experiences when dealing with these organizations, realize these are what everyone faces. These are not mature organizations staffed primarily by people who are highly skilled and deeply caring. It is the nature of the system at this time. It may be a more satisfying experience to teach in a lower level school where you have more freedom to work in a way that is of greater benefit to your students than to be forced to follow an in house system that is not well managed. If your creativity and experience (or willingness to do the extra work) is not up to that task, then at least this kind of school (ILA and the other tier 1 schools, I hesitate to call them "the better schools") has a program for you to follow. I don't mind being a follower if I have proper leaders.

Oh I don't know about that. I did my CELTA at ILA, and by the time they finally got around to deciding that they could offer people jobs, everyone had already accepted jobs elsewhere. And of course the first to get jobs elsewhere were the people who got the highest CELTA grades.

Yeah, that's some more of the BS they shell out, that most people get a Pass, it's hard to get a Pass B and very rare to get a Pass A, but that when going for jobs people are not really going to ask what grade you got. They just want to see the CELTA.

Same happened in my group. They hired the no-experienced one with the Pass B, and not the seasoned pro with a mere Pass.

I recently applied to ILA and did not make the short list for interviews. When I asked for the reason, the recruiter replied that it was due to the few vacancies vs. many applicants. It was disappointing news but understandable, given my limited teaching experience. I thought maybe having a CELTA certification would trump that. I also wonder if my Vietnamese surname had any influence. Hope you all have better luck.

If you have a Vietnamese surname, you are "Asian."

And honestly, ILA (and other schools) avoid teachers who look Asian, especially Vietnamese because parents have a strongly held belief that you may not be a native speaker, even though (I assume) you are.

They have a steady stream of applicants. If you get on board, good for you. But they want to hire you on abroad for a lower salary, lock you in, and when you leave, someone else will replace you immediately in the current economy.